


a convenient excuse

by helsinkibaby



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Comment Fic, F/M, Fluff, Het, Pre series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 14:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30107436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: On Noelani’s first day as Chief Medical Examiner, she has the jitters. Katsumoto is a calming presence.
Relationships: Noelani Cunha/Gordon Katsumoto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	a convenient excuse

**Author's Note:**

> For comment fic, theme Job. Prompt any, any, first day on the job jitters  
> Set about two years pre-series one of Magnum. (So Hawaii Five-0 season 7for those of us who are timeline nerds)

“Doctor Cunha... am I interrupting?”

Noelani spun around very carefully. Boxes of files and supplies were stacked everywhere, along with stacks of paperwork teetering precariously on every surface. To move suddenly was to court disaster, or at least hours of reorganising work and she had better things to do with her time. 

“Detective Katsumoto, come in.” He’d used her title so she used his. He stepped all the way inside, letting the door swing closed behind him, his detective’s eyes taking in the state of the room, arriving at a conclusion in seconds. First that they were alone. Second, they were in the middle of chaos. 

“The move is going well, I take it?” 

Noelani grimaced at his obvious, if understated, sarcasm. “There’s a lot to organise,” she allowed. Unfortunately, crime didn’t stop for a lack of organisation. “You’re here for a report on the Bailey case?” She looked around again at the mess on her desk, stabbed at the keyboard, sighing with relief when her computer screen sprang into life. For a second there, she’d been concerned that IT hadn’t managed to hook it all up. “I should be able to find that, just give me a second...”

“Well, that’s part of it...” He took a step towards her desk, holding out one hand. In it, there was a takeout cup of coffee and Noelani eyed it jealously. He took another step towards her and this time, he looked down pointedly at the coffee cup. “Also to give you this.” 

It took a second to make sense of the words. When she did, Noelani tilted her head, blinked at him. “You brought me coffee?” 

Katsumoto shrugged. “First day as Chief Medical Examiner, it’s a big day. I figured some coffee wouldn’t hurt.” Considering she was about five minutes away from following Max to the airport and begging him to come back, he wasn’t wrong. “Of course, if you don’t want it-”

“No!” She might have sounded a little too eager but she really didn’t care. She could do with some caffeine right now. “Thank you.” She reached out for the cup, her fingers brushing over his, making a shiver of electricity run up and down her spine. To cover her reaction, she took a sip of the coffee, closing her eyes as she swallowed. “Oh my god; I needed that.” 

“Yeah?” When she opened her eyes again, he was looking very pleased with himself and it was Gordon she was looking at suddenly, the funny, sweet guy who’d taken her out on four dates over the last couple of weeks, rather than the oh so serious and by the book Detective Katsumoto. 

Her cheeks felt warm. She told herself it was the coffee. 

“I skipped my morning coffee... I didn’t want caffeine jitters mixing with first day of a new job jitters... that was a definite miscalculation.” Another sip and she was on firmer ground suddenly. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” He was smiling now, something in his eyes and in his voice that warmed her all over, soothing her jitters away, no coffee necessary. “And I was thinking, assuming crime doesn’t change our plans, that you might let me take you out to dinner later. To celebrate.” 

Noelani’s only plans had been to go home and collapse on her couch. His idea was much better. “I’d like that,” she said, her lips curling in a smile. 

He smiled too, nodded once. “Good.” He glanced at her computer. “I’ll call back later... get those results.” She realised then, a little late, that he hadn’t actually needed those results at all. That had just been a convenient excuse to see her, to bring her coffee. Something else bloomed warm in her stomach at the thought and she grinned, her jitters a distant memory. 

“I’ll see you then.”


End file.
